Distillation, and fractional distillation, are well-known processes in chemical engineering. Apparatus and procedures for this use are known in laboratory type embodiments and in large scale commercial installations. There are, however, applications where these chemical procedures would be advantageous if intermediate-scale apparatus were available for reliable, trouble-free use requiring minimum supervision. One such application is the provision of potable water for individual farms and ranches in areas of the country where the natural water contains enough dissolved minerals to be unpleasant or physiologically unacceptable for drinking. Another application is the derivation, from suitable agricultural refuse at individual farms, of alcohol of purity adequate for use as a fuel for tractors and other engines.
In these applications it is desirable to have the distillation equipment of limited dimensions so that it can be installed in small buildings. Equipment having tall towers is not feasible for installations of this sort: the well-known "barometric height" to which water, or water-and-alcohol, rises under a substantial vacuum, makes apparatus using such principles undesirable.